12-09-2025 City Council Workshop Packet

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11 12/2024 #125 DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION The city of Lake Elmo is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our policy is to be welcoming, safe, and equitable to all employees and members of the community. By embracing the diversity of our workforce and community, the city seeks to not only meet, but also exceed, our obligations under federal and state law. The goal of our policy is for the work environment to be free of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. Furthermore, it is our belief that: • We are more efficient when all are valued and included. • We are more effective when we leverage our different ideas, backgrounds and identities. • We are more responsive when we acknowledge and reflect the identity and experience of our residents and colleagues. DEFINITIONS Cultural Competence – the ability to interact effectively across differences. We acknowledge that a ‘one size fits all’ approach is not effective and actively seek ways to make our services accessible and culturally relevant. Discrimination – unfair treatment because of a protected class status. Diversity – recognizes the unique differences of all individuals. This includes the many apparent and non-apparent ways which people differ in their identity such as: age, gender and gender identity, race, ethnicity, national origin, language, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, mental or physical ability, marital status, family status, or educational background. Equity – the principle of fairness by seeking to remove barriers and increase access to services. This includes understanding and acknowledging historical and ongoing inequities between groups of people and a commitment to actions that challenge those inequities. Harassment – unwelcome conduct that is based on a protected class status that is intimidating, hostile or abusive. This includes sexual harassment. Inclusion – an environment that is built on respect and which creates a sense of belonging for all who live and work here. By being inclusive we acknowledge and value individual contribution as well as the background and identity of those with whom we work, partner, or serve. It is the city’s policy to respect culture and reduce bias in our workplace and service delivery. The commitment to inclusion, diversity, and equity influences the work that is performed by the city, the workplace environment, relationships between employees, and relationships between the city and community. While individual employees have their own beliefs and values, performing work on behalf of the city requires upholding cultural competence and respect to ensure work occurs that not only meets, but also exceeds, our obligations under federal and state law. The city of Lake Elmo values all diversity and recognizes individual protected-class status as defined under state and federal law and seeks to ensure equal opportunities in all phases of employment. The city expects each employee to cooperate to achieve this goal and personally stand behind the principles as defined within this policy. All employees of the city are expected to act and perform work professionally, including respecting cultural differences. Under the city’s Respectful Workplace & Harassment Prevention policy, discrimination, including harassment, will not be tolerated. Any employee found to have exhibited any inappropriate conduct or behavior may be subject to disciplinary action.